José Lázaro Galdiano was a publisher who spent fifty years buying whatever was beautiful — and his Salamanca mansion hangs it all: enamels, ivories, armour, jewellery, and a picture collection that would anchor a national museum in most countries. Almost nobody goes. On a weekday you will share Goya’s Witches’ Sabbath with the guard.
The free last hour is real and unadvertised; the €7 full ticket buys you the painted ballroom ceilings too. It is the natural second stop after the Sorolla, twenty minutes’ walk away.
The minimum you must see
01
Witches’ Sabbath (El aquelarre) — Goya
📍 First floor, Goya room — with the companion Witches’ Flight sketches.
02
St John the Baptist — Bosch
📍 First floor — one of only three Bosch panels in Madrid outside the Prado.
03
The treasury (ivories, enamels, daggers)
📍 Ground floor vault rooms — the densest cabinet of curiosities in the city.
04
The painted ceilings
📍 First-floor ballroom — Lázaro commissioned them to depict his own collection.
Tips
Afternoon closing (15:00) surprises people — this is a morning museum. Do it before lunch in Salamanca or Chamberí.
The garden café terrace is one of Salamanca’s quiet secrets.
Questions, answered
Is it worth crossing town for?
Combined with the Sorolla, absolutely — the pair make Madrid’s best under-the-radar museum morning.
How strict is the free last hour?
Entry from 14:00 with the doors closing at 15:00 sharp — enough for the Goya room, the Bosch and the treasury if you walk briskly.
How much is a ticket?
€7 full — or free in the last hour, 14:00–15:00, every opening day.
What are the opening hours?
Tue–Sun 9:30–15:00, closed Monday. It is a morning museum — do it before lunch in Salamanca or Chamberí.
How long do you need?
Ninety minutes for paintings plus treasury; a brisk 50 minutes covers the Goya room, the Bosch and the vault inside the free hour.
What is the nearest metro?
Gregorio Marañón (L7/L10) or Rubén Darío (L5) — and it is 20 minutes on foot from the Museo Sorolla.
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